Short Story: An Observer

“Create a short story, piece of memoir, or epic poem that is 26 sentences long, in which the first sentence begins with “A” and each sentence thereafter begins with the next letter of the alphabet.”

Ammala viewed the subject from what they hoped was a hidden location.

Being an observer, part of the task was not to be seen watching. Camouflage could be used, hiding in dark shadows or one could make efforts to simply be overlooked, to fit in naturally as part of the scene. Disguise might seem the most like some type of secret spy but could be seen as overdoing it in the face of simpler methods.

Elsewhere, the feed from the eyes of the observer was recorded, as evidence, perhaps viewed immediately, perhaps never seen. For all Ammala knew, the images might go nowhere for nobody, pointless, purposeless. Getting into place unnoticed and watching the subject unseen was the point, the reason why. How you did it was the skill, the finesse, the enjoyment.

If the party being observed knew they were being watched, they gave no sign of it, going about their business as if having no cares in the world. Justice might not be coming for this one as they seemed to lead a blameless existence. Knowing they were being watched might have led to more furtive, secretive behaviour and that was the reason the observer could be seen but not noticed, as part of the furniture. Leaving the scene unseen was important so simply pretending to be furniture, a statue or an ornament could make things tricky. Making a sudden move could give the game away. Not moving could sometimes be just as revealing if the watcher were pretending to merely pass by.

Observation might end with the arrest of the now-proven guilty party. Proof of guilt having been provided by the watcher, a team would move in and take their victim away. Quietly leaving unseen was not absolutely necessary at this point but a stealthy exit was a point of pride.

Regardless of the outcome, Ammala would enjoy the satisfaction of a skillful observation. Soon it would be time to move on to the next victim or subject. The skill of leaving could be greater than the skill of getting in place unseen. Under the cover of the constant movement of a busy area an observer might be moving constantly as part of the traffic, changing appearance or aspect, moving in or out of the view of the subject while fitting in completely, naturally. Vanishing could be the way if it was done unseen, sometimes in plain view but not noted.

Watching could be done in various wavelengths as you might expect, infra-red night vision for complete darkness as an observer could use no light to illuminate the area. X-Rays were needed sometimes, such as now, to see the subject when they had moved behind a wall. Yet not much could be made out in this way and Ammala would have to move closer if the subject stayed out of direct view. Zooming in a little, the subject could again be observed further away and the Observer continued the task of watching, contented for now.